In this edition, we'll be covering the following topics:
- RTITB Calls For More Pre-Use Inspections.
- 20% Off Sale - CASTLE Multifunction Model.
- Worker Crushed to Death in Excavator Incident.
- Ask Bob: Our tech guru addresses a question on free rigging with forklifts.
- ¿Hablas Español?
- UK Company fined £300,000 following the death of forklift driver.
- Last chance to register!
- What's Wrong With This? Photo and answer.
- A selection of interesting articles.
- New testimonials from our wonderful clients.
But first, check out all the places we delivered training this month...
RTITB Calls For More Pre-Use Inspections.
The United Kingdom's Workplace Transport Training accrediting body Road Transport Industrial Training Board (RTITB) has warned that safety is at risk in many forklift operations due to inadequate pre-use inspections.
"Every forklift truck operation should begin with a pre-use inspection. However, these checks are often conducted incorrectly, or overlooked completely," says Nick Welch, technical director for RTITB.
"This poses a serious safety risk both to lift truck operators and others around them."
Research carried out by RTITB in 2016 showed that 65% of forklift operators didn’t know how to correctly conduct the driving and braking pre-use check; 49% did not know how to check the operator’s seat properly; and 48% were unaware how to suitably check the mast.
"Compared to efficiency or practical driving skills, pre-use inspection is the area in which drivers are performing most poorly," says Welch. "To improve safety and reduce risk, employers must deliver training that ensures operators are skilled and competent to inspect the equipment. Supervisors should also ensure that pre-use inspections are taking place, and highlight their importance in everyday operations."
Despite the quality or age of the equipment, and even if it has been checked by another operator that day, operators should never assume that a forklift truck is safe and ready to operate. The pre-use inspection helps to identify any mechanical failures or potential problems, and each component checked is vital to the safety of the operator, and the operation.
Speaking at the recent Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) National Fork Lift Safety Conference, Welch explained that damage or wear can occur at any time during use, making a lift truck unsafe to operate. However, UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) statistics show that more than 18% of occurring lift truck incidents could have been avoided with correctly conducted pre-use inspections.
"Forklift operation is a skilled job that requires specific training. There must always be an element of human responsibility," he said in his presentation, ‘Appearance isn’t everything’, which explored the importance of pre-use inspections and how employers can effectively manage this with their operators.
Source: www.forkliftaction.com
Worker Crushed to Death in Excavator Incident.
Case report: #2013-05*
Issued by: Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Date of incident: Dec. 16, 2012
Two excavator operators were using a tandem lift procedure to transport a 128-foot section of pipe. Both excavators were attached to the pipe with slings. The lead operator lowered his end, detached from the pipe and positioned his excavator on the left side of the pipe. He then reattached to the pipe and raised it off the ground. The operator of the rear excavator attached at the opposite end, then raised the pipe to cab height and maneuvered the excavator around the end of the pipe while swinging the boom of the excavator. When the pipe was in line with the excavator cab, the pipe plunged through the front windshield, entering the cab and striking the victim in the chest. Police, emergency medical services and the medical examiner arrived, and the operator was pronounced dead at the scene. Cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the chest.
To help prevent similar occurrences:
- Implement a comprehensive safe work procedure for tandem lifting operations.
- Provide training that includes hazard recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions.
- Ensure an effective method of communication is maintained between excavator operators and ground workers.
- Use adequate lighting during all work activities.
Source: www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com
Ask Bob
Q. Is there any way a person can use two load rated slings on two forklift forks to lift an object? We have a very large Taylor forklift and in the past, the Kamloops branch has used 2-25,000 lbs. rated round slings to lift large hydraulic cylinders on and off transport trucks. Because of the cylinder shape, the guys feel it is a safer approach. From a legal standpoint, is this allowed? We have load-rated jib-booms for the smaller forklifts, but not for the larger Taylor. The capacity of the forklift is way beyond what is required, but the wider forks allow for a more stable load. We were hoping to create a Job Hazard Assessment/Procedure for this process but wanted to know the legalities. Any information would be appreciated.
A. The practice of free rigging with forklifts; hoisting a load suspended by rigging (slings in your case) that connects to the forks is something that should be avoided simply because it employs the forklift for a purpose that it was not designed for, which is use as a crane.
While I cannot think of any regulation, standard, or code that specifically addresses free rigging with forklifts, equipment manufacturer’s routinely include wording in their manuals that their machine must only be used for the purpose for which it was designed and most regulatory authorities would probably support that.
That being said, I think you could use a forklift to hoist loads if a proper lifting/hoisting attachment were used instead of attaching rigging directly to the forks, unless of course the manufacturer expressly prohibits it.
Finally, as far as using two forklifts to lift a single load, I would suggest following the "critical lift" criteria for mobile cranes as per your local OSH regulations and/or ANSI/ASME B30 series standards.
¿Hablas Español?
If you are fluent in both Spanish and English, perhaps you would consider assisting us with our Spanish language operator training materials. We need authentic hispanophone people who are experienced with the IVES Training System to help us translate and/or proof new and existing operator training materials such as operator reference manuals, theory tests, evaluation forms, record sheets and a host of equipment training-related documents. If you think you might be interested in helping us and are agreeable with terms of confidentiality and compensation to be determined, please contact us at hablasespanol@ivestraining.com today. Muchas gracias!
Source: www.ivestraining.com
UK Company fined £300,000 following death of forklift driver.
A company has been fined £300,000 for breaching health and safety regulations after a fork-lift driver died at work.
Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres Ltd, based at Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham, had previously admitted a charge of failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees following the death of Stephen Woollas in July 2014.
Mr Woollas died after his fork-lift truck tipped over crushing him underneath it - he was not wearing a seatbelt.
The firm was also ordered to pay £25,000 towards prosecution costs.
Alex Stein, prosecuting at Lincoln Crown Court, said the company's health and safety policy requiring workers to wear seatbelts was not enforced.
The investigation into the death of Mr Woollas revealed that the warning device on the seat belt which should have sounded if the belt was not being worn had been disabled.
Instead the belt had been clipped into the latching mechanism behind the seat. Other fork-lift trucks at the premises, which remoulds tyres, also had the warning device disabled.
The company also failed to enforce a policy that fork-lift driver should only use reverse when their view going forwards was obstructed.
At the time of the fatal incident Mr Woollas was moving a load of tyres while travelling forward but was unable to fully see what was ahead of him.
Mr Stein said: "Mr Woollas was driving a fork-lift truck at the company's site when the truck tipped onto its side and he was crushed under it.
"He was driving without a seatbelt carrying a load of tyres. There was a restricted view available to him as he was driving forwards. The requirement to reverse in the fork-lift truck wasn't being enforced.
"The fork-lift truck became destabilised and tipped over. The investigator is confident that the destabilising came from riding over a tyre.
"Because Mr Woollas was driving forward with a stack in front of him he had no chance of seeing anything.
"As the fork-lift truck fell over Mr Woollas was trapped. Workers did their very best to free him and an ambulance was called but tragically he did not survive."
Mr Woollas' daughter Emily, in a statement read to the court, said: "So many of us have so many beautiful memories of my dad. His sudden and tragic death has left a huge void in all our lives."
Malcolm Galloway, for Vacu-Lug, said: "The company accepts by its plea that it did not do sufficient.
"This is not a bad company. It had taken health and safety very, very seriously and was doing its utmost to make sure that its employees worked within a safe environment.
"This was a company with systems in place to try and be proactive with health and safety. This is not a case of total failure by the company due to disregard and not caring."
He said the firm, which has a current turnover of £17 million, has a deficit in its pension fund.
He said: "This is a company that is in a genuinely difficult financial position most of which is not the responsibility of the current management."
Source: www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk
What's Wrong With This? Photo
Can you tell what's going wrong in this photo?
Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!
Answer to Last Month's WWWT? Photo
- Using anything, like two ladders in this case, to achieve additional height/reach beyond the working height of the unit is prohibited.
- Platform occupants are required to keep both feet firmly planted on the platform floor.
- Two ladders and what looks like a 2x6 plank do not constitute a safe support scaffold.
- Working at height with no fall protection system is a definite no-no.
- Leaving the platform of an elevated aerial lift can only be done where permitted by the manufacturer and must be in compliance the manufacturer’s instructions and/or those of the OSH regulatory authority having jurisdiction.
Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!
Interesting Articles
WATCH: Excavator nearly flips after driver transporting it misjudges tunnel height limit...more.
Vehicle falls from forklift crushing employee in Alabama auto shop...more.
What is OSHA: Understanding their role...more.
1 man dead after industrial forklift accident...more.
Boomlift destroys bridge...more.
Front end loader bucket severs child's leg in New Vineyard...more.
JCB celebrates 40 years of making Loadall telehandlers...more.
Man fatally electrocuted in aerial lift accident...more.
President Trump nominates Scott Mugno to head OSHA...more.
VIDEO: Worker fatally struck by excavator bucket...more.
Man injured when boomlift overturns...more.
Provincial brings giant telehandler to Canada...more.
Client Testimonials
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